Fishtail
by KeyLimePie14
Summary: Two-Shot. "...don't blame me! You didn't have to come with me; you could've stayed back with your lover and her family!" Tensions rise when Sam and Freddie get their car stuck in a snow bank in the middle of Yakima... SamxFreddie.


**Hey there! I'm back with some new material. I presume this is only going to be a two-shot, but I haven't completed the second part yet, so we shall see where it goes. **

**Enjoy.**

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><p>"<strong>Fishtail"<strong>

**Fanfic by: KeyLimePie14**

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><p>partone:<p>

"Jesus Sam, I'm trying to keep us from dying and all you can think about is the radio?" Freddie chastised the blonde girl sitting in the passenger seat. Sam scoffed and turned the music up, causing Freddie to clench his teeth and grip the steering wheel harder. The road was very icy and Freddie's eyes strained to maintain focus on the road ahead.

"You aren't doing anything but chauffeuring, Benson," Sam leaned back and looked out the window, taking in the winter wonderland that was Yakima.

The three friends as well as Spencer had made a visit to Carly's grandfather's for the Christmas break. Freddie's mom had gotten called out of town because her sister was sick and got stuck in Chicago due to the big snow storm that had blown through. She wasn't expected to be home until Christmas Eve, so in an attempt to make sure Freddie still had Christmas she granted him permission to go with the Shay's. Sam just tagged along because she could. And because she was, of course, Carly's best friend.

"Oh yeah, because driving on ice is the easiest thing in the world to do," He rolled his eyes, slowing his speed a little more. He reached over and flicked off the radio, relaxing slightly from the silence. Sam groaned and kicked her foot against the dashboard.

"Why do you insist on being a nub?"

"Same reason you insist on being vicious. I can't help it," He risked a smug smirk in her direction. She growled and punched him hard in the arm. Groaning in pain he somehow fought the urge to argue back. Arguing with Sam took his complete and undivided attention, attention that he was currently using to keep the car in control.

"Whatever," Sam grumbled, mad that she had failed to get a rise out of him. "Are we almost there?"

Freddie scoffed at her, "We're practically in the middle of nowhere, and there are only trees around us. Does it really look like we're almost there?" Sam rolled her eyes in response as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"It was only a question." Freddie didn't retaliate, and instead they both sat in silence for a while, Sam staring absently out the window and Freddie concentrating hard to see through the snow that was blowing across his windshield. He gritted his teeth together as the wipers moved at full speed, desperately trying to keep the window clear, but to no avail.

"Butter," Freddie muttered under his breath as he attempted to at least pull off to the side of the road. He turned his steering wheel to the right and made sure his foot was on the brake. The wheels groaned under the packed snow and quickly began to lose traction. Sam's head snapped up as the vehicle's front wheels locked up, causing the vehicle's rear to spin out swerving back and forth until it slammed into a snow bank. "Chizsticks!" Freddie muttered again, pulling the lever on his door and throwing it open.

"Fredlumps! What happened?" Sam followed in his actions, crunching her feet in the snow. She squinted through the falling snow and made out his figure pushing through a snow bank, trying to free the rear end of the vehicle. She shook her head at the boy's feeble and useless attempts.

"The car fishtailed." Sam's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, but Freddie kept talking. "And now," He grunted as he shoved more snow out of the way, "We're stuck." His arms fell limp to his side and his body shook with cold. He crossed his arms over his chest and stomped back to the front of the car, slipping inside his already open door. Sam followed suit, wrapping her zip up hoodie tighter around her slim body.

"All because you had to have your stupid ham!" He slammed his hand into the steering wheel, frustrated, "Now we're stuck, and probably going to freeze to death because we're in the middle of _nowhere_!"

"Hey now, it's not my effing fault that you can't control your car, Benson!" Sam shouted back, her face turning even redder than it had been. "So don't blame me! You didn't have to come with me; you could've stayed back with _your lover _and her family." Freddie winced at those words, knowing that was a touchy subject around the two girls recently. He just couldn't figure out why.

"What is your deal anyway, Puckett? You couldn't have gone _one night, _one _freaking_ night without your precious ham? I swear to God," He angrily ran a hand through his hair, and opened his mouth to continue his rant when he was cut off by Sam punching him in the ribs, making him gasp for air.

"Shut up, Benson! You're just mad because now you can't see your precious Carly and instead you're stuck with me! Well I'm _sorry _you got the short end of the stick!" Sam huffed. Freddie gasped slightly; still trying to regain the breath she'd just knocked out of him and looked at her.

"What?" He questioned, his eyebrows furrowing a little.

"Forget it! I'm out of here," Sam reached over to open her door again, overwhelmed with feeling. The car was making her feel claustrophobic and Freddie's stare wasn't helping things at all. She shook her head and opened the door, the cold wind hitting her in a bitter gust.

"No, you aren't going anywhere," Freddie latched onto her upper arm, pulling her back inside. She slammed her door and ripped her arm away from his grip. She then crossed her arms over her chest and stared at him, her eyes squinted.

"You can't just let me calm down, can you? What is wrong with you? Do you _want _to die?" She threw her arms up, teeth bearing at him. "You're an idiot, Benson."

"Sam… please stay in here. It's cold outside," Freddie calmly reasoned, "I have blankets and flashlights in the trunk. Please, stay here," he tried to smile at her. She glared at him in return and slammed her feet against the dashboard as hard as she could. He sighed and got out of the car, moving to the trunk.

He retrieved the three heavy duty blankets that his mother made him carry at all times, as well as two flashlights and the gallon of water that was kept in the trunk as well. In the heat of the moment he hadn't thought to call anyone for help. He only prayed that one of their cell phones had service, especially considering he had no idea where they were.

The snow continued to fall heavily, coating the shoulders of his jacket in white flakes. Snow melted through his hair, chilling his scalp. He shivered slightly, moving as fast as he could through the deep snow to get back to the depleting warmth inside the car.

"Do you have service?" He questioned Sam when he re-entered the car, "We should call for help."

Sam rolled her eyes and turned her head to show that she was calling someone, "On it, Fredlumps."

He smiled at her, trying to ease any anger that she may have had left, "We should move to the backseat. More room." Sam glanced up at him and nodded as she climbed over the middle console, falling hard onto the bench seat in the rear of the vehicle as she laid across the length of the seat, her knees slightly bent to make a little room for Freddie.

"Carly!" Sam shouted into the phone when her friend finally picked up, "Fredward got us stuck in a snow bank. Gotta come bail us out, Cupcake," She paused as the girl on the other end responded and then, "We have no idea where we are."

"Somewhere near the 7-11," Freddie mouthed, remembering the small gas station they had passed not even ten miles down the road.

"Fredalupe says we're near the 7-11," Sam paused once more, "Right, that one. We passed it a ways back; we're a few miles down the road from it."

Freddie began to unfold one of the blankets and draped it over Sam's legs, tucking it around her body a little in an effort to keep her warm. Sam glanced up at him in surprise, her eyes locking onto his as she listened to her friend fret over their dire situation. Freddie smiled shyly at her, patting her knee before breaking eye contact and unfolding a blanket for himself.

"Okay, we'll watch for you! Hurry up, Cupcake! Bye," Sam ended the call and dropped her phone into her lap, sighing exasperatedly, "It's gonna be a while."

"That's okay, we're warm and I have water," he held up the clear plastic jug, sloshing the water around slightly.

"Food?" Sam arched her eyebrow, looking disinterested about the water.

"Just the few snacks you left in the car from our trip up here," he replied, remembering the small bag that Sam had shoved underneath the passenger seat.

Sam frowned, shaking her head sadly, "I ate that this morning."

"They'll be here soon," he tried to be comforting, knowing that something had been deeply affecting his friend lately and the news of no food would push her even deeper into sadness.

"If they can even find us," She said sullenly, looking out the frosted window at the blizzard that continued to rage on. Her previous thoughts of a winter wonderland dissipated as now it just seemed to mock her.

"Hey," he squeezed her knee, "they're gonna find us. Come on, let's keep our minds off of it, okay?" he paused, debating on what to talk about. He finally rested on what he knew could potentially be dangerous for him, but he couldn't deny that he was curious, "Are you and Carly okay?"

His voice was soft, caring, and Sam wanted to tell him so badly what was wrong. But she couldn't, not when she knew that he wouldn't take it well, "We're just fine," she grumbled, picking at a thread on the blanket.

"It doesn't seem that way," he pressed, "You guys seem tense..."

"We're fine, Benson, drop it," her voice held an angered tone, "Why do you always have to know everything that happens between me and Carly anyway?"

"We're all friends. Carly talks to me, you know. Why can't you do the same?"

"You want me to talk to you?"

Freddie nodded hesitantly, unsure of her tone, "Yes, Sam. I want to be your friend."

"Well fine, Freddie," she huffed, resting her head against the window, her curls falling forward into her face a little, "I'll talk to you. Me and Carly are _fine_. I'm the one that's not so fine."

"Why not?" He questioned, furrowing his eyebrows in concern, "I've noticed, by the way."

She sunk her teeth into her lower lip, creating an indent in the plump flesh, "You are my friend, Freddie."

Freddie looked at her, his eyes squinting. He was even more confused now; _of course_ he knew they were friends. Just because she never admitted to it didn't meant that he didn't know it was there. He had always known that they were friends.

"I don't… I don't want to mess it up, okay?"

"Sam, what does this have to do with anything?" Her vague responses were beginning to agitate him, "Can you just get to the point? I know that we're friends."

"You don't understand," she bit her lip harder, grinding it between her teeth.

"Sam, unless you're going to tell me some kind of Earth-shattering news or something, it's not going to change anything. We're always gonna be friends," He chuckled, "Even if you tell me that you like me." He winked playfully, a smirk playing on his lips.

She stopped breathing, "Huh?"

His face fell at her reaction and he blushed, "Oh, I was just kidding, Sam… I know that you'd never like me like that," He smiled a reassuring smile, feeling extremely awkward.

"Got that right, Benson," her voice wa(i)vered and she could only pray that he didn't notice. She turned to look back out the window and murmured, "But you should never say never…"

"So are you gonna tell me what's wrong or what?" He questioned, ignoring her last statement as best as he could.

"I changed my mind," she snarled, not looking back at him as she spoke. He frowned and began turning the flashlight on and off absentmindedly.

"Sam, why do you always have to be so difficult?"

"Wanna know why, Freddie?" He nodded dumbly, patiently waiting for her to speak. All he had to do was bait her and she would reveal all. "Because maybe I like you."

The idea behind the words she just spoke was so preposterous that he couldn't help but laugh out loud. And laugh, and laugh. He laughed so hard he failed to notice Sam's face fall, her mouth curving into a scowl.

"Keep laughing and I'll really give you something to laugh about, Benson," she threatened, lunging forward to grab the collar of his shirt, her eyes boring into his. "It seems that you're set on dying tonight, huh?"

"Sam!" He tried to pry her tiny hands away from his neck, but failed as she was stronger than she looked, "Let me go."

"No, you've pissed me off. Carly is going to find you face down in the snow, Fredward!" She shook him as hard as she could, her anger beginning to seep through.

Freddie gasped in surprise as his head bobbed back and forth with her thrusts. She grunted and flung him backwards, pulling him forward just as quickly a second later, the force causing his forehead to slam into her eye. Sam screamed in pain as she smacked Freddie across the face, pushing him away from her. She clutched her eye, shrinking back to curl in on herself.

Freddie shook his head, trying to clear his mind. He looked up to see Sam's shoulders shaking. Frowning, he hesitantly reached out to her, "Sam, I'm so sorry."

"Go away," she muttered, looking up at him, never moving her hand from her eye. She could feel it throbbing and knew it would swell quickly.

"Hey," Freddie moved closer to her, leaning his upper body in between her legs, "Let me see it?" He reached up to pull her hand away only to be rewarded with a smack to the hand and a snarl.

"You've helped enough. I hate you."

"No you don't. You just told me you liked me," he half-joked, smiling at her, "You can't tell me that was a lie, Sam."

"You're such a douchebag, Freddie!" She glared as menacingly as she could with one eye swollen and covered over with her hand.

Freddie rolled his eyes and, when she looked away, lunged at her. He grabbed her hand away from her eye and pinned both hands to her side so that she couldn't push him away again. She looked up at him in surprise, her jaw going slack when she saw that she couldn't move.

"Lemme go, Fredward, and nobody gets hurt!" She bucked upward, trying to free herself from his merciless grip. He pressed his lower body weight onto her hips, locking her into place. She couldn't even kick him.

"No, Sam," he grunted, "I need to take care of your eye. Do you want it to swell shut?"

"If it means you leave me alone, then yes."

"Well," Freddie smiled a little, glancing at her mouth, "I'm never going to leave you alone, you should just accept it," he let go of her hands, "I just want to help you, Sam." He trailed his index finger over the edge of the swelling, pulling away when she winced a little.

"Watch it, Fredloser," she grabbed at his wrist, squeezing when he touched a soft spot on her injury, "You're hurting me," her voice held less bite than she would have hoped, making her cringe.

"I'm sorry. I have to," he paused, pushing her hair out of the way, "I need to ice it." He looked around for something he could use to wrap snow in, making an ice pack. He found nothing lying on the floor of the car and glanced down at his own t-shirt. Without pause, he pulled it up and over his body, shivering a little at the shock of the cold air.

"What are you doing?" Sam asked, her eyebrows furrowing at his strange actions.

"Making an ice pack," He said simply, letting go of her and opening the door of the car. He leaned over into the snow and began scooping it into the middle of the shirt, ignoring the stabbing pains that shot through his hands.

Sam watched his back silently, listening to his teeth chatter. After a few large scoopfuls he leaned back into the car, slamming his door shut.

"Okay, this should make do," He told her as he wrapped the shirt around the mound of snow, tying the sleeves together. Freddie made sure it was secured and then leaned back over Sam, carefully placing the shirt over her eye. Sam hissed, jerking her head back. "No, Sam," Freddie grabbed the back of her head, his fingers threading through her hair for greater hold, and placed the ice pack over her eye once more. "The swelling needs to go down. It's gonna hurt," he smiled sympathetically at her.

"If your head wasn't full of rocks this wouldn't have happened," She joked, smirking at him, trying to ignore the pain.

"If _you_ didn't have a raging temper this wouldn't have happened," he retorted, laughing a little. Sam leaned her head against his hand, closing her eye. She made a noncommittal grunt to his statement, focusing on the cold seeping into her skin. Freddie eyed her face for a moment, "You really like me?" He whispered, not daring to speak any louder.

Sam opened her eye, glancing over his face, "So what if I do?" Freddie half-shrugged, adjusting the ice pack. "It's not gonna matter, Freddie, so don't even act like it does."

"How do you know that, Sam?" He paused, "That's your problem. You always just assume the worst out of people. That's why you can never keep a boyfriend."

"Harsh," she deadpanned, "and hypocritical of you."

"Excuse me?"

"You'll do anything to find something wrong with every girl that likes you, Freddie. You push them away and then complain about it."

"I do not."

"Yeah, you do," she paused, "Except for maybe Valerie. She was scum."

Freddie chuckled, "You didn't like her, huh?"

"Nobody liked her. She tried to take iCarly's tech stooge," she ruffled his hair, tugging on a few strands as she pulled away.

He wrenched his head away from her, "I know. It was a bad decision."

"Of course it was. You made it."

Freddie removed the makeshift ice pack from her eye, "So if I kissed you, you'd tell me it was a bad decision?" He licked his lips subconsciously before they cracked into a small smile.

Sam shook her head, "Don't. I swear to God, don't."

Freddie pulled back, caught off guard by her words, "But you said…"

"I know what I said earlier. It's not a good decision for you to kiss me, Benson. You don't know what you're talking about."

"Usually when a girl tells a guy that she likes him, she would be ecstatic if he wanted to kiss her," Freddie pursed his lips.

"I'm not just a girl," She arched her eyebrow. Freddie inhaled deeply and, ignoring her request, kissed her lips. He gently pushed her head so that it rested against the window and leaned over her, being careful to avoid her eye.

She turned her head after a few seconds and pushed him off of her, frowning, "I told you not to do that," she growled, her hands fisting tightly.

"Then why did you tell me you liked me?"

"Because you wouldn't leave me alone and I thought by telling you I could get over you!"

Freddie sighed, "How is that working out for you?"

Sam looked away, rolling her eyes, "Not good. You and your stupid lips."

"If you really just want to get over me- not even give us a chance- I'll respect that. I don't understand, but I'll respect that," he handed her the melting ice pack, wiping the wetness off on her blanket.

She placed the shirt back over her eye and looked at him, "_Us?_ Who even said there was a possibility of that?"

"I'm really confused," Freddie bowed and shook his head, his hair moving back and forth.

Sam watched his hair, her eyes drifting down to his eyebrows knitted together, to his long, dark, thick eyelashes, to the curve of his nose and finally to his full lips; the same ones that had just been meshed with hers oh so perfectly. But she couldn't think like that- she couldn't like Freddie Benson.

After a long period of silence, he looked up at her, subconsciously chewing on his lower lip, "So I'm just supposed to pretend you didn't tell me you liked me? How is that fair?"

"I've never been fair, Fredward. This isn't something new."

He gave her a slight nod and moved to the other side of the car. He rested his bare back against the cold window and sighed, focusing on the chill of the glass against his hot skin. "You're right," he conceded, picking at his fingernail to avoid looking at her.

Sam looked away, pushing them into an awkward silence until Carly and Spencer arrived. Their grandfather's station wagon rumbled just behind them, the headlights glaring dimly through the opaque rearview window.

"Carly's here," Freddie spoke quietly, "Sam?" He looked over to see Sam sleeping soundly, her head drooping forward so her chin rested against her chest. He smiled a little and opened the door. The bitter air slapped his bare torso hard, but he did his best to ignore it.

"Freddie!" Carly shouted, moving through the snow as quickly as she could. "Why don't you have a shirt on? And where's Sam?"

"Sleeping," he said when he reached her, his teeth chattering.

"Where's your shirt?" She asked again, as she quickly unwrapped her scarf from her neck and gave it to Freddie, "Put this on. Spence, get Sam."

Spencer nodded, not bothering to question Freddie's lack of clothing.

"We'll come back for the car tomorrow, I guess," Carly wrapped her jacket tighter as she turned around and began to tromp back to the station wagon.

Freddie nodded and followed her, his eyes never leaving the sleeping form of the girl in Spencer's arms.

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